Chamber Ensembles

Faculty

Faculty Brass Quintet

Faculty String Quartet

Dr. In-Hong Cha, Associate Professor of Music at Wright State University, teaches applied violin, serves as director of orchestral studies, coordinator of strings and conductor of the University Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Cha holds a D.M.A. in orchestral conducting from the University of South Carolina, an M.A. in violin performance from the Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, and an Artist Diploma in Strings from the College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati. Dr. Cha performs and conducts actively throughout the United States and abroad including Hawaii, Alaska, Canada, Brazil, Paraguay, Taiwan, Mexico, Russia, Korea and Japan. Dr. Cha was former concertmaster of the Daejon City Symphony Orchestra, Korea and principal second violin of the South Carolina Philharmonic Orchestra and also served as music director and conductor of the Amabile Chamber Orchestra. His autobiography, ‘Beautiful Man and Beautiful Success’, was published in Korea and it became a best seller. Dr. Cha’s appearance on the “Hour of Power” with Dr. Robert Schuller at the Crystal Cathedral has been televised to a worldwide audience. In June 2006, he appeared as a guest conductor for the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra in Russia during White Night Festival and the performance was recorded on CD and it has been released by SONY/BMG, Seoul.

Mr. Thomas Sobieski started playing with the Wright State University Faculty String Quartet in January of 2008. Having played in orchestras such as the Virginia Symphony, the Richmond Symphony Orchestra of Virginia, and the Dayton Philharmonic, Thomas now sits as concertmaster of the Lebanon Symphony Orchestra. He has participated in programs such as CCM's Music-X, a modern music festival, the Grandin Festival, the Aspen Music Festival and the Opera Theater of Lucca, performing opera and chamber music in Lucca, Italy. He has appeared as soloist with the CCM Percussion Ensemble, the WSU University Orchestra, and in various recital series and programs around the Cincinnati and Dayton area. Thomas earned his BM, MM and AD from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, where he studied primarily with Dr. Won-Bin Yim.

Mr. Kevin Nordstrom leads a busy career as both performer and teacher. He has performed in much of the United States as well as in Canada, Italy, and Austria, and has given numerous solo recitals in the United States. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from The University of North Texas, a Master of Music degree and Artist Diploma from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where he is also pursing a Doctorate of Musical Arts. His teachers have included Dr. Catharine Carroll, Masao Kawasaki, Dr. Susan Dubois, Donald McInnes and Christian Colberg. Most recently, Mr. Nordstrom has been appointed to be the Adjunct Instructor of Applied Viola at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, a position he is most proud to step in to.

Dr. Franklin Cox studied at Indiana University, Columbia University, and the University of California, San Diego (PhD, composition). His main cello teachers were Gary Hoffman, Janos Starker, and Peter Wiley, and he studied composition with Fred Lerdahl, Brian Ferneyhough, and Harvey Sollberger. Dr. Cox has received numerous awards as both composer as cellist, including the highest awards from the Darmstadt Festival for both composition and cello performance. Since 1993 he has presented a solo recital entitled "The New Cello," focusing on original works for the cello, more than 100 times throughout Europe and North America. He is founding co-editor of the international book series, New Music and Aesthetics in the 21st Century, and is also founding co-editor of Search, an on-line/print journal focused on new music and culture. In 2008 he founded the annual American Innovators series of concerts and symposia. His works are published by Rugginenti Editions and Sylvia Smith Publications, and they can be heard on Rusty Classica, Neuma Records, Solitude Edition, and Centaur Records.

Faculty Woodwind Quintet

The Wright Winds is the resident faculty woodwind quintet at Wright State University. With a focus on developing chamber music programs at WSU and community outreach, the Wright Winds has an exciting and diverse repertoire ranging from the classic woodwind quintet literature to compelling music by new composers.

Performance highlights include concerts and clinics at multiple OMEA conferences and tours of the British Virgin Isles and Hong Kong, China. Every year the Wright Winds visit schools throughout Ohio presenting educational concerts received with great enthusiasm that explore various topics from introducing the woodwind instruments to the challenges of ensemble playing.
For more information about the Wright Winds or to schedule a performance or clinic at your school, please contact Bill Jobert at (937) 775-3170 or william.jobert@wright.edu.

Student

The Percussion Ensemble

The Wright State University Percussion Ensemble is pleased to announce it’s 2011-2012 repertoire and guest artist line-up. This year will feature performances with Keith Aleo (Director of Education, Zildjian) and Bob Becker (NEXUS). Works programmed this year include compositions by Steve Reich, Daniel Levitan, Mark Ford, Bob Becker, John Cage, Brett Dietz, and a world premier composed by Eastman Percussion Professor, Michael Burritt.

Recital and percussion ensemble repertoire programmed this year include: Drumming by Reich, Divertimento for Marimba and Saxophone by Yuyama, Rebonds A and B, Conversations by Miyoshi, Omphalo Centric Lecture, Mudra, Northern Lights by Ewazen, Canned Heat by Kopetzki, works by Levitan, etc.

In past years the percussion ensemble has been featured the Ohio Day of Percussion, the Ohio Music Educator’s Convention, WSU Arts Fair, WSU Arts Gala, and educational presentations throughout the region. Members of the WSU Percussion Ensemble and former student’s of Mr. Noble have performed with or currently hold positions with Blue Man Group, Blast! Dallas Brass, Summit Brass, the USAF Band of Flight, the Dayton Philharmonic, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Champaign Urbana Symphony, Boulder Philharmonic, Colorado Music Festival, Cleveland Pops, Richmond (IN) Symphony, Springfield Symphony, Dayton Philharmonic Concert Band, various cruise lines, and other orchestras and military bands throughout the US. Former students have also been featured performers at the Aspen Music Festival, National Repertory Orchestra, Chataqua Institute, Brevard Music Center, Eastern Music Festival, the Masterworks Festival, and Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp.

Saxophone Quartet

The Wright State Saxophone Quartet is a performing chamber ensemble comprised of Wright State University music students under the musical coaching of Professor Shelley Jagow. All members are music education and/or performance majors at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. Quartet membership is chosen annually on a highly selective audition process.

The WSU Saxophone Quartet is a recipient of the Edgar Hardy Scholarship, the Dayton Chamber Music Society Scholarship, the Chamber Music Institute Fellowship, and the Wright State University Presidential Commendation for Excellence. The quartet performs a diverse musical repertory and is often invited to perform at school, community, and professional events including the Ohio Music Educators Association (OMEA) State Conference, the Music Educators National Conference (MENC), the North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA) conferences, the International Society for Music Education (ISME), and the United States Navy Band International Saxophone Symposium.

The Quartet has performed throughout the United States in Connecticut, Indiana, Nebraska, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia, and Washington D.C. International performance tours include Japan and Italy.

HIRE THE QUARTET TO PERFORM AT EVENTS

Support young musicians by booking the Saxophone Quartet for your next event. The Quartet has been hired to perform at private and public events such as birthday parties, retirement parties, holiday events, festivals, church and school activities, and a variety of other venues. The fee is used to pay for music, equipment, and educational activities such as conference attendance and performance.

University Trombone Ensemble

The University/Community Trombone Ensemble is comprised of qualified university and community trombone players. Established in 1974, the ensemble averages three to five performances per year, on and off campus. They meet one hour per week for the purpose of playing trombone ensemble music, as well as exchanging ideas and concepts of trombone performance. University students have an opportunity to perform and interact with mature trombone players and teachers in the area.